A Hero's Embrace
by Skywolf24
Summary: Sometimes being a hero can leave scars, sometimes scars can easily be mended with tears.


**A Hero's Embrace  
**

**A disclaimer: All Characters belong to Christopher Nolan and DC Comics**

* * *

A gray shroud covered her pale features, Selina sat curled against the cushions, her knees tucked against her chest. A tear slipped over the sharp curvatures of her face, and she lowered her eyes to her goggles by her bare feet. She was still dressed in her skin-tight cat suit, tattered from slices of blades and stained with the blood of the victim she failed, failed to save.

She allowed her pride to get the best of her, and allowed the chance to guide her into the crossroads of an impossible choice. Save a little girl and let the mother die or save the mother and let the child die.

Selina fought with everything of her power, aggressiveness roundhouse kicks, cobra strikes and uppercuts in the jaws of her opponents. She made one serious mistake, she let her guard down and watched the mother take the bullet. It happened so flash that to her it was grim snapshot, quick and memorable.

She shuddered as the child's teary face became embedded into her thoughts, searing her will to fight.

_"Why couldn't you save my mommy?" The girl's mournful cries blanketed the dense air of the warehouse, as detective Renee Montoya unlocked the chains wrapped around her trembling body. The girl looked upon at Selina will remorseful eyes, making her own heart shattered into thousands of a piercing shards. "You're no hero!"  
_

_Catwoman lowered her dark eyes down, clenching her gloved hands into fists, as flashes from the patrol cars became captured into her tears. She gingerly moved to the lifeless body, of the victim, she tried to save, looking down at closed eyes and the bullet holes in her chest.  
_

_"I'm sorry," Selina whispered with a quiet voice. "I failed you. I failed your daughter."_

_She stripped off her mask and threw it to the ground, growling out in frustration and then bolted out of the warehouse._

_Renee Montoya, moved to the body and lifted up the goggles while she drew out a shaky exhale.  
_

Selina fluttered her dark eyes opened, grasping the strap of her mask and throwing it across the graphite floor of the penthouse's master bedroom. She slipped off the leather cushion, crashing to her knees and slammed her fist forcefully down, unleashing her inner remorse, "WHY?!"

She literally felt sick, stomach churning as she wrapped her arms around her waist. "I'm no hero!" she cries lashed against her wounded heart. "I will never be one." She clamped her eyes shut, blocking out the world around her, just staring into the dark abyss of her mind.

The sound of Bruce's soft footfalls jarred her attention, she inhaled his soothing scent as he invaded her space, "Selina," his voice was soft. "Selina, look at me."

"No, go away." She growled, keeping her eyes close. "I just want to be left alone."

Bruce eased his knees down and crouched his body in front of her, his dark hazel eyes were enduring, his fingers brushed lightly over the curve of her tensed jaw. "Selina, will you at least look at me?"

"How you even look at me, Wayne? What I did was unforgivable."

"Unforgivable, Selina Kyle," he leaned in closer and cupped her face with his hand. "Saving lives have been never easy. Sometimes people live and sometimes they don't, Selina." He paused in his words, recollecting Rachel's death and then stroked her auburn locks. "You were left with impossible choices, and then chance got the better of you. That's the point of being a hero. We face death every day, you and I but don't let this weaken you. You're stronger than this, Selina Kyle."

Selina finally opened her watery dark coffee colored eyes, "I wanted to save the mother, handsome."

"I know, Lina," Bruce whispered gently, and then he embraced his arms around her, holding her close. "You saved a life last night. Don't you forget that." She buried herself into his chest, her tears drenching his black shirt. Bruce rested his chin over the mass of her thick hair. "What we do for Gotham is never rewarding, sometimes, I failed many lives as Batman. Good cops and people that believed in me... But I didn't let that stop me from wearing the mask. Instead, I embraced their deaths, because they died defending the people they loved just like I would if you were ever in a dangerous situation."

Selina pulled back and met his sincere eyes, "I'm used to stealing, not protecting." she narrowed her eyes down, mashing her teeth into her bottom lip. "I can't let some sick bastard steal a life that doesn't deserve to be taken."

Bruce curved the edges of his smooth lips into a tender smile, he lifted up her chin and rested his broad forehead against hers. "That's my girl," he whispered, and she felt his words enter her chest. He tilted her head back, and then kissed her tentatively on the lips, reassuring her that everything was going to be alright.

Selina closed her eyes and kissed him back, and she felt the fire of Catwoman once again ignite in her mending heart.


End file.
